Friday, March 17, 2017

I love Google Keep! It is one of those versatile resources that is useful in many, many situations. It will allow you to take photos, make lists, record oral responses and manipulate that info.

I use Google Keep for a very personal reason. I travel to multiple school districts on a weekly basis and have a concern that I will accidentally wear the same outfit to the same district time after time. Yup! It is a real concern!

That may not seem very important - but it bothers me. I needed a way to keep track so, I started taking a picture of myself each morning as I get ready for work and send that to Google Keep. Now I can make sure that I don't keep showing up in a district looking like I only own one outfit!

That's only one use.

My daughter was home from Virginia for the weekend. She is a grad student in Professional Counseling and is just getting ready to begin her BIG research project. We were talking about the process - wading through sources and note taking and research and and and.

As we talked - the wonderful and amazing Google Keep popped into my mind!
This versatile tool has just been made more amazing with the integration into Google Docs!
It has the potential to turn research on its head!

So how would this work??

1. Throughout the research process use Google Keep for your notes - add any additional info

2. Add tags to help organize notes for later use

3. Open and name a Google Doc

4. Tools - Google Keep - see all your notes

5. Search for tags

6. Drag the notes you need into the doc

Here is a little video of that process.

I think this streamlined note taking tool is a real game changer!

And I must say I earned major mom points for sharing this with my grad student daughter!

First stop Google goodness

Here you see a list of all the websites and apps that you have used Google to sign in with. You can go through each of the sites and remove the ones you no longer use.

Yeah - first digital closet is cleaned!

Email subscriptions

1. Log in to your email (gmail)

2. By the email address you will see the words "unsubscribe"

3. You have a second option to make a final decision to unsubscribe to the company or blog.

4. It usually takes a few days or weeks to be removed from an email list. So be patient.

Speaking of Email

If you are using gmail take some time to organize your email inbox.
A few of my tips
1. Use the label feature to organize emails still in your inbox
2. One of my favorite labels is ToDo. Notice I add a one. then it appears at the top of my label list.
3. Add a calendar item once a month to zero out your inbox. It feels so liberating to know that you have organized your life in one small place!

4. Consider using different email sections in your gmail with a priority inbox. Here is a little video I made to demo the process

I spent so much time looking and admiring and dreaming that I didn't spend much time writing in my own Bujo. And that is clearly a problem!

So - it's time to begin 2017 with a new plan! :)

But first, a couple of things I learned through my exploration this past year.

I need an analog To Do list! I am the most productive when I have a place to jot down reminders and to do items throughout the day and throughout my life. There are some specific requirements for that list...

needs enough space to write

needs to have dates attached to items

needs to be analog - because I like to check things off

needs a place to plan ahead

I need a place to keep lists -

Christmas lists

TV suggestions

books to read

tools to share with teachers

I am a little concerned about privacy with my Bujo. I am a traveling consultant. I am in many different schools and offices and I am quite forgetful. I didn't want my personal world to be left behind somewhere in my professional world

I do not want to use two different list tools. I considered carrying two bujos and that just didn't seem practical. I love the idea of an all in one tool. I know that could mean Drive and for many techie people that works well. But I have a hankering for some things analog!

With all that in mind here is my new plan

I have decided to go to two tools. I know I didn't think I wanted that - but they serve two different purposes.

First - I am using my new Rocketbook Wave notebook for my to do list. I am using the Standard size, about the size of a small planner. The genius of this notebook is I can make it digital - there are small icons across the bottom of each page. Using a smartphone app you can connect an image with a destination - email, drive, one note - so that snapping a picture of the image sends it to that digital spot. The other amazing thing about this notebook is it can be erased. By using special pens (and BTW they are very nice weight and writing) you can microwave the notebook when full and the ink will be 'erased.'

I am using a two page spread for my week - on the left is a list of the days and my calendar for the week. I know I am rewriting that. But, I find that it helps me remember what I need to do.

On the right is my to do list complete with small boxes for me to cross things off. I can carry my to do list on to the next page if necessary

I have combined my personal and professional life on both the calendar and my to do list.

I am loving this notebook. It is small enough for me to take anywhere - in a bookbag or a purse. And lays flat so I can easily keep it beside me as I work.

Second - my new Bullet Journal. Because I am only using this for lists - I decided on a Moleskin notebook that I found at Target. It's not as fancy as the Leuchtturm I used last year. But I am a sucker for the polka dots! I added the date and my name in permanent marker.

After having a place to jot down gift suggestions, books to read and quotes last year - I really couldn't give that up.

So this book will live in a book bag in my car. Because I am a bit of nomad - I keep a traveling office in my car. I have found that there are books I often need, but not on a daily basis. These ride around in my car in this jazzy Target bag. That is where my Bujo will also live.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

I had the privilege of spending the morning working with a group of dedicated HS teachers.

They were meeting to move their teaching practice from traditional classrooms to blended and personalized learning. This is the second year of the initiative and this group was working through the nitty gritty of resistant students and curriculum needs and personal hesitations.

My role is a supportive coach. I have been digging into Blended and Personalized Learning - but I am not in a classroom. My job and experiences are from the outside looking in. So, when I get to spend time with teachers it is a good day!! :)

And today was a very good day!!

The conversation began with logistics and some hiccups in the process.
And then the conversation moved to practice - to the actual classroom and what is happening inside the doors of these spaces.

And that was the best part!

I was able to spend time listening to their stories.
Listening to the way students were reacting to the changes, some welcoming it and some resisting. Listening to the change in classroom conversations when students were given more choice.

And then there was that story...that one that I grabbed on to and will hold tight for a long time.

A math teacher shared how she was using EdPuzzle to create short videos on her content to help students take notes and practice.

One day she noticed two students arguing and moved closer.
But these two were arguing...over a math problem.
Let me say that again - arguing over a math problem.
Arguing about how to complete a step in the problem.
That level of engagement is encouraging - but then it gets better - because they each pulled out their notes to prove their own process was correct!
They were using their notes to improve their practice!

That is learning!

The conversation between the teachers continued from practice to Web 2.0 tools to future planning. But, I had lost the thread.
Because I was picturing this moment again and again.
Two alternative HS students actively discussing a math problem.

Hmmm.... Maybe the new focus of my blog is responding to other blogs. Because that is what this post is all about.

I just read an excellent short reminder from Pernille Ripp called "Keep Doing;" Her reminder is exactly what teachers need as November moves in to December and the excitement of the new year changes into the everydayness of the rest of the year.

I am working with a school district who just rolled out Chromebooks for all the High School students. We have focused so much on the tool and what the tool can do and how you will manage the tool and what you should and should not expect with the tool.

When I read this post - it made me pause and understand what I have not said enough! Focus on the student.
Focus on the student.
More than the learning, more than the outcome, more than than technology, more than anything. Focus on the student

Monday, October 17, 2016

I've had a really hard time blogging for the past 3 years.
I know - that seems like a long writer's block.
But it wasn't really writer's block so much as losing my voice.

I left a school district 3 years ago. And in my leaving my district I felt like I lost my voice and my clout and a bit of my identity. When you have been part of a school district for more than 1/2 your lifetime it impacts you a bit.
My point of reference was the same for all those years.
And I loved it! I knew what to expect, I knew the drill, I knew it. I had moved out of the classroom 5 years earlier, and that transition changed my point of reference - but not as much as leaving the district all together.

I didn't really understand that when I moved to a new job - out of a single district - to become a Technology Consultant working with multiple districts.

I am very happy with my decision to move.
I love my job!
I love the changes that it has brought about in me and in my connection to education and technology!

But, my fingers kept stopping as I sat down to write.
The questions came faster than my thoughts.

How can I write about education and teaching and technology when I don't work directly with students?
How can I really know what is best practices for students when I swoop into a school for PD and swoop out again?
How can I understand what it is like in a classroom when I no longer have those daily responsibilities?
How?
How?

And the questions froze my voice.
These questions made the words disappear and my thoughts dry up. For three years.

“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.”

I have a voice and a point of view and a need to write.
My perspective is unique to me.
I have been in education a looooong time!
I clearly remember when that first Apple 5200 arrived in my 4th grade classroom door.
And I have been using it ever since.
That means I have something to say!

So - it's time to get back to reflecting on my corner of the ed tech world!

Monday, May 30, 2016

Use this versatile site to create a huge range of items. Here are a few links to explore.
One word of warning: There are links to sites that are not completely school-appropriate. So be sure to check out the links before sharing them with students.